Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways
Twenty-one byways, including
the National Scenic Byways, make up the Colorado Scenic and
Historic Byways Program. The program is a statewide partnership intended to provide
recreational, educational, and economic benefits to Coloradans and visitors.
The system of routes making up the Colorado Byways program provides travelers
with interpretation and identification of key points of interests and
services along the way, while providing for the protection of significant
resources. Graduate interns at Colorado Center for Community Development (CCCD)
conduct surveys on the Byways funded by a grant from the Colorado Department of
Transportation. The outcome is to provide communities along the byways with
valuable insight into the market characteristics of byway travelers.
Scenic Byway Projects include:
Alpine Loop, Unaweep/Tabeguache, West Elk
Loop, Los
Caminos Antiguos, Silver
Thread, Highway
of Legends, Flat
Tops Trail, Guanella
Pass, Mount
Evans, Peak to
Peak, Cache la
Poudre, Lariat
Loop, Pawnees
Pioneer Trail, South Platte River Trail
The Kitchen Community Project
School gardening programs have become increasingly popular as a
tool used in promoting healthy eating habits among children.
Concurrently, research has shown that improving eating habits causes a
reduction in obesity. These gardens, primarily planted on school
grounds, also have the potential for increasing community awareness on
the importance of healthy eating choices. The end result is that
school/community gardens (particularly in low income neighborhoods)
ultimately increase food literacy, increase healthy eating habits while
promoting and encouraging community engagement. The Kitchen Community
Experimental Learning Garden (ELG) will provide a unique, engaging and
accessible integrated program and environment. The University of
Colorado in partnership with Kitchen Community will implement ELGR as
the research/evaluation component for the innovative project. A
landscape studio at the University, led by Chris Schooler, will be
developing the new ‘Garden in a Box’ method. This will create a
prototype to test in a dozen schools before being launched on a larger
scale.
The Five Points Business District asked
CCCD to be a part of the Welton Street Corridor vision plan and
revitalization. Civic involvement was a key method used to determine the
best urban planning strategies for the district. CCCD was involved in
conducting community workshops, community surveys, and focus group
discussions to not only identify concerns, but also come up with
potential solutions to the project. CCCD assisted in leveraging
leadership in the neighborhood, as well as involving businesses from the
public and private sector. Discussions ranged from culture to land use,
residents, business owners and interested citizens to input a vision
behind the plan. This process allowed for numerous feedback cycles,
ensuring the plan meets the needs of residents in both the present and
future.